The Guardians of Force Part I: A Shocking Revelation
by ambrose.thorn
Summary: The story of a mysterious organization founded long before Arendelle was built. When Elsa and Anna are recruited into the order, strange things start to happen... FYI: I hate to call this a Doctor Who crossover, because if you think about it, it wouldn't be that unlikely for him to drop in on a situation like this. All non-trademarked characters belong to me.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Elsa wasn't the only elemental in Arendelle that fateful summer.

Nor was she the only one letting go of something. But to explain this slightly confusing statement, we must go back to that day, before the night that Anna was struck in the head with ice magic and forgot everything...

Unbeknownst to most, Elsa and Anna had a younger brother. His name was Darren, and he blew stuff up. When their parents weren't around (which admittedly was quite often), he would play games with his older sister, Anna. (Elsa was too smart to trust Darren after the first incident he caused.) These games usually consisted of Darren and Anna starting off with a regular children's game, Darren turning it dark and twisted, and Anna telling him to stop.

And then he would make her explode.

There's something you must understand now: Anna is resistant to fire, heat, and all related things, for reasons that will be explained. So you will see, when Darren would make her clothes burst into flame, she would just be rather angry and generally dangerous to have around. In more than one way.

On one of these afternoons, Darren and Anna played in the Great Hall of their parents' castle. Anna ended up with her favorite outfit in flames, and she was therefore considerably upset, chasing after her crackling, popping brother and setting things on fire.

Two strange men watched the scene from the darkness of the rafters. The one on the left watched the exploding Darren, while the eyes of the one on the right never left the princess. "They're it," they said simultaneously, and finally looked away, turning to each other. "The boy could be a secondary red," the left one said. "The girl's primary," the right replied.

In a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning, both had gone.

"Welcome home, sir," the butler said to the King of Arendelle. "May I take your cloak?"

"Very well," the king said wearily, handing it over. "Any news of the surrounding areas?"

"Well," the butler said, "Nothing yet. But you may learn something... you have guests, you see."

"What?" the king said, not quite understanding what the butler had said. "I don't have an appointment... maybe later..."

"They insist upon seeing you now, sir."

"Oh, very well, very well!" The king walked into the dining hall and slammed the door behind him, turning to face his two hooded guests.

"Who are you and what do you want?" the king said bluntly. "I'm very tired and rather busy as it is-"

"Anything can wait for this," one of the visitors interrupted, rising from his seat.

"Indeed," said the other, also getting up. "I take it that you don't know us?"

"Should I?"

"Let me put it frankly," the second one continued. "You know how your eldest daughter has Ice magic?"

"What about it?" the king asked suspiciously. "Wait a moment, how do you even know about-"

"We've been keeping tabs on your family for quite some time now," the first one said, interrupting again.

"Anyway," the second jumped in, "we witnessed an event earlier today that confirms both of our suspicions. Both of your other children are elementals too."

There was a heavy silence.

"Elementals?" the king asked. "I've never heard it called that before."

"It is the official term for beings like us, who are born with powers of control over nature itself," the second stranger explained. "Your daughter Anna appears to control Fire, and Darren, your son, has Combustion powers."

"We've noticed," the king said bitterly.

"And so you leave him to his own devices, locked away inside his own twisted mind?" The first stranger towered over the king, who cowered before him.

"We know what it's like," the second one said, bowing his head. "It only makes things worse. Let him be free!"

The first stranger's head suddenly snapped straight up. "Did you feel that?" he asked the second man.

"A mood fluctuation," breathed the other. "If we can actually feel it at this distance-"

"It's too late," the first stranger said, hanging his head. "Your son has run away."

Later that night, Elsa and Anna snuck into the Great Hall to play and Anna was struck down. Their parents, already distressed from the morning's events, pulled out all the stops and went to the trolls. There Anna's memory was forever wiped of magic, including Darren. This caused her manifesting powers to become dormant, meaning she would be unable to protect against future ice. But one day, her powers were bound to awaken...

In his cabin on the ship sailing to the wedding of an old family friend, the king of Arendelle was once again greeted by two unwelcome surprises. Well, three, actually.

"Surprise," the first stranger said.

"Bet you thought you'd never see us again," said the other.

The king gaped. "How did you-"

"Get on board?" the two strangers finished together. "Well, it's not exactly difficult when you have powers like ours," said the first one.

"Indeed," said the second. "I, for example, am a major Thunder elemental. I can control the weather to a point, and I can also channel lightning."

And I," the first added, "am a major Water elemental. I control the ebb and flow of the tides, and when in conjunction with my companion, we make a formidable typhoon."

"Why are you telling me all this?" the weary king asked. "Last time we met you wouldn't tell me anything but information about my own family."

"Oh, but don't you realize?" the second stranger said. "We are family." With that, both men removed their hoods.

"Corona!" The king stared, white-faced, at the second man, who had red hair with blond streaks in it. "Corona of Corona, father of kings across the sea. Sorcery!"

"No, indeed," Corona said, straightening up with a thin smile. "Simply a prestigious place in the local community."

"What job would merit such extensive life?" the king replied angrily.

"That is what we are here to tell you, dolt," said the first stranger. He was taller than Corona, with more bulk (whether from his clothing or naturally was hard to tell). His face was sharp, and his hair was a sea green, windswept and messy. "We've come to tell you that your children are to be Guardians of Force. They shall live until they find one to replace them in their post, and until then they shall wield one of the Divine Channelers and protect this world from Chaos."

"I can't be sure, but it sounded like there were a lot of unknown proper nouns in that sentence," the king said. "And you think you can just recruit them because you have powers? I am still the king of Arendelle. You can be stopped. Everything can."

"With the exception of the Lord above," Corona said, "to be sure, we cannot be indestructible. But hear this: No feeble human guards will pose the slightest threat to us."

"We shall see," the king sneered. "GUARDS! Apprehend these madmen and throw them belowdecks!"

All three of the men in the cabin heard the thunder of feet pounding on the deck. "We warned you," the first man said, as they were dragged out the door onto the deck.

"Now," the king said, stepping out after them, "I don't know what you want, but I grow tired of your continued annoyance. Rid me of yourselves!"

"Very well," said the first stranger nonchalantly, stepping through the grip of the guards holding him as if he were made of mist.

"You will regret that wording in a moment," Corona said. There was a brilliant flash of light, and the guards holding him all flew ten feet back from him in a shower of sparks.

"What do you mean by that?" The king looked nervously around at the startled and unconscious guards.

The two elementals stood silent and still, side by side. Clouds rolled across the sky, blotting out the light and turning the scene on the deck eerie. Then the two men clasped right hands and shouted, "VAPOR LIGHTNING STRIKE!"

A blue fork of lightning came searing out of the sky and smashed into the king, traveling through him and into the ship, scorching and splitting the boards. Water gushed onto the deck from below, where the thunderbolt had made holes in the hull.

The queen rushed up to the main deck to see two strange men standing over many unconscious soldiers and her scorched husband. She gasped and rushed over to the king, who was stirring. "What have you done?" she whispered, turning to the two men standing, motionless, a look of pure hatred on her face.

"You should be asking what your husband has done," the first stranger said, stepping forward.

"Who are you?" the queen said, her voice still nothing but a hoarse whisper. "What do you want?"

"We are Corona and Vaan of the Guardians of Force," the man said, as he and his companion stepped closer. "And we want peace."

"Eternal peace," hissed Corona.

A great wave came over the ship. The queen looked into the eyes of her murderers with terror in her heart. They betrayed not a flicker of emotion as the ship tilted and was submerged. The last thing she saw was the deadened eyes and thin smile of her ancestor, Corona, as she went under.

Once the ship had been properly submerged, the two Guardians stopped treading water and threw their heads back, channeling their powers. Vaan, the green-haired man, changed to water vapor and was quickly assimilated into Corona's thundercloud. Corona himself was struck by lightning, and in that split second, he transformed from a man into a mass of sentient photons and plasma, surging back into the heavens and traveling through the sky like a writhing electric serpent. Together, the two Forces traveled oversea by cloud, moving back towards Arendelle. They had an appointment to keep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Several years later...

"Elsa!"

The queen of Arendelle turned to see her younger sister, Anna, running up a snowy slope towards her. Anna reached her out of breath, her face as red as her hair. "Hi," she said. "Watchya doin'?"

"Just... thinking," Elsa said, looking down on the miniature Arendelle she had constructed out of snow and ice using her powers. The castle towered over the glistening bluish houses, casting a deep shadow. "Things are good now. But they just aren't the same."

"Don't tell me you actually liked being isolated from everything!" Anna said, incredulous.

"No..." Elsa shook her head. "It's just odd being known by everyone as a different person than who I was for so long. Just old habits, I guess." She shrugged.

"Well, anyway," Anna rushed, hoping to be able to get back to the castle quickly, "I came all the way up here because there's a couple of visitors at the castle. They were offered lodging, and get this: one of them's from Corona!"

"You mean across the sea?" Elsa frowned. "What's so special about that?"

"Because..." Anna took a deep breath. "He says his name is also Corona."

There was a brief, heavy silence.

"No way!" Elsa said scornfully. "How can you fall for that? Corona of Corona died over eight hundred years ago."

"Yeah, but... he's supposed to be our ancestor, right?"

"What about it?"

"Well, you'll see when we get to the castle."

Twenty minutes later, both sisters were in the entrance hall. "The guests are this way, your Highness," the butler said.

They entered the dining hall, where the two elementals were seated in the exact same positions as they had been the first time, so many years ago, when the king had heard his worst fears confirmed. Upon the two sisters entering, both rose from their seats. "I have been graced to meet you, your Highness," the shorter of the two men said softly. He had a thin but warm smile, and bright red hair with white-blond streaks in it. And...

Elsa gasped. The man, despite his pale eyes and somewhat hollow cheeks, was a spitting image of her own mother. Elsa knew he must look like them, too, for both she and Anna had always looked very similar to their mother.

She leaned over to compare him to Anna, who was hovering nervously behind the stranger. They were nearly identical.

"Is something wrong?" the man asked with a faint smile.

"No," Elsa stuttered, before going back to examining him. He was wearing a sword belt, but his sheath had a split down the line that would normally be the center of the blade. The scabbard was decorated with engraved metal.

"Excuse me," the man said with a slightly concerned expression, "are you sure you're all right?"

"Uh... yeah," Elsa said, waking up from her trance. "I mean, welcome! And you are...?"

"I am Corona," he said, taking a pair of oval spectacles with darkened lenses out of his cloak and pushing them up on his nose. "I am from... across the northern sea."

"Uh huh," Elsa said, glancing over at Anna, who had an "I told you so" expression on her face. "And where precisely, across the sea, do you come from?"

"Originally a small town outside of what is now the kingdom of Corona," Corona said, chuckling. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"Very," Elsa said, with a pointed look at Anna.

"And this must be your sister," Corona said, following Elsa's gaze and turning around to look at Anna instead. "We met briefly when my companion and I arrived, didn't we?"

"Er... yes," Anna said, shaking Corona's hand but pulling away quickly. He noticed.

"Afraid of me?" he said with his slight smile. "No need, as long as we're friends."

"Anyway," Elsa said somewhat loudly. Everyone turned towards her. "If you, sir, and your friend-"

"Vaan," Corona interjected.

"If you'll allow us to show you to your chambers, we can discuss the reason you're here tomorrow."

"We will be delighted," Corona said warmly. His companion, Vaan, nodded, acknowledging the two sisters for the first time the entire conversation.

"Great!" said Anna, with an air of one anxious to get away. "Let's hurry so we can all go to bed."

"Oh, we don't need to," Corona said pleasantly. "But if you insist."

Corona and Vaan followed the sisters out of the hall and up the stairs. They stopped outside the second door on the left. "If you would take this room, sir Corona," Elsa said courteously, opening the door for him.

"Thank you." He smiled. "Goodnight."

As the door closed behind them, Anna led Vaan to the guest chamber next to the Master bedroom, where the queen slept. "And this is yours," she said, with a little nervous laugh.

Vaan nodded and walked through the open door, slamming it without a backward glance.

Anna looked around, throwing Elsa a look. "Real nice guy," she said sarcastically.

"Come on," Elsa sighed. "Let's get to bed."

The next morning, Anna and Elsa came down into the Dining Hall to find their two guests already sitting there, as if waiting for them. As Elsa came over to sit down, Corona stood up. "I apologize," he said, sitting back down with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Habit, I suppose."

The queen smiled back at him. "That's perfectly fine. Breakfast...?"

"Thank you," Corona said with another warm smile. "It would be much appreciated."

Vaan silently surveyed the others as they ate and spoke. Anna nudged him. "Roll?" she said, holding out a plate of them.

"No, thank you," he responded stiffly.

Anna shrugged. "Suit yourself." She continued to eat. Vaan watched her.

Later that day, Vaan heard a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he called rather roughly.

"It's me... uh, Princess Anna?"

He sighed. "Very well, come in."

Anna entered the room, which was exactly as it had been before the visitors had arrived. It appeared Vaan hadn't brought anything with him, as the room was still rather bare; the bed didn't even look slept in. Vaan was pacing the length of his room, up and down. The curtains were drawn and a fire was roaring in the hearth, making the room quite warm.

"Uh... Well, I was wondering if maybe you needed some company?" Anna said, sitting down on the bed cautiously. "You seem kind of down about something."

Vaan seemed about to retaliate, then apparently thought better of it. He heaved a sigh and plopped down on the bed next to Anna. She scooted over a little.

There was a long, awkward silence.

"Nature is a beautiful thing, isn't it?" Vaan said rather unexpectedly, turning towards the curtained window as if to look out it.

"Uh... yes, it is," Anna responded, surprised and rather curious. "You like the outdoors?"

"Due to my incessant travels, I have learned to truly appreciate the elements," Vaan said, still looking towards the window. "Their magnificence, when not disturbed by humans."

"Yeah," Anna said, smiling a little. He's not so bad, she thought to herself. "Sometimes, when I have nothing else to do, I like to just sit and stare into the fire. Watch it... dance."

Vaan turned away from the curtain and stared at the fire in his own grate. "Yes, I often look out to sea, watching the waves," he said quietly. "And mourning what has been lost. Wondering if I've always made the best choices. But, then I remind myself that... it's too late. That I can't change what I've done. I can't see... much hope."

Vaan suddenly fell silent, as if he thought that he'd said too much. Anna, however, put a hand on his shoulder.

"We all do things we regret," she said with a sad smile. "Believe me, I know how you feel..." Her voice trailed away as she too looked toward the curtained window, beyond which lay the sea that had taken her parents.

Vaan hesitantly put his hand on Anna's. But at that moment there came a tremendous crash and a shout from the next room, followed by a scream.

"Elsa!" Anna yelled, jumping to her feet. She charged out of the room, Vaan hot on her heels.

The doors to the Queen's chambers were flung open. Anna and Vaan rushed inside to see Elsa, sitting straight up in bed and staring at her window, which had been smashed, and Corona, who was standing at Elsa's bedside, searching through the fragments of glass on the floor.

"What happened?" Anna asked, shivering. Frigid cold air was whistling through the broken window, and the fire had gone out. Surprisingly, neither Vaan nor Corona seemed to at all mind the low temperature.

"I don't know," Elsa said, breathing heavily and still staring at the shattered window. Then she seemed to notice Corona. "How did you get here so quickly?"

"I can move quick when I need to," Corona answered, standing up and holding something up to the light to examine it. "Besides, I was sort of expecting trouble tonight. Not this early, though. It's only four in the evening. Speaking of which, your majesty, why are you in bed already?"

"I was just taking a nap," Elsa said defensively, pulling her covers up farther. "But what's happening? What trouble?"

"Have you had any odd reports of strange heat waves in areas, where the snow all melts, but the land remains barren and hostile?"

"We were actually getting some weird sightings in the peninsula area." Elsa frowned. "Something about a 'tornado of blackness'?"

"That'll be him," Corona said. "Or rather, them. Unfortunately, we're going to have to tell you why we're here."

As the two sisters exchanged puzzled, frightened looks, Vaan moved up to the front of the room to stand by Corona. "Let's make this a thorough explanation," Vaan said.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"This land was, long ago, a very interesting place. There lived a great variety of wondrous things that could bend the powers of nature to their will. There was a place that these creatures preferred to live, away from the unnatural structures and activity of humans. This place was called the Moors."

"The Moors?" Elsa gasped. "That's where the trolls live!"

"Precisely," Corona responded. "They can work powerful magic when they wish."

Vaan cleared his throat. "Anyway, at one point in time, the humans and creatures of the Moors— your kind called them faeries— were living and cooperating with each other perfectly well. It went on for a surprisingly long time, but, as usual, one human had to go and ruin it all for the rest. This person was sly and patient, and he saw the power that the faeries had over the elements. Of course, as was only natural, he wanted it.

"This human went into the Moors one day and requested to speak to their mistress, Doriado. Doriado was the keeper of the faeries' secrets; a sort of shaman, if you will. The human went into her tent and talked to her, getting to know her, and over months and eventually years he proclaimed his supposed love for her. Now, faeries don't age the same way that humans do, as they live much longer and generally only show age near the end of their lives. However, Doriado had already revealed to the human that a strong emotional connection to a person or place with natural powers could lengthen a human's lifespan."

"Why would she tell him that?" Anna asked, confused. "I thought she was supposed to keep the faeries' secrets."

Corona chuckled. "Keeping secrets from someone you think is a friend can be difficult," he told Anna. "Very difficult indeed..." His voice trailed away as his eyes glazed over, as if he was remembering something.

Vaan hurriedly continued. "Well, obviously, since this human was so set on gaining the faeries' powers, he wasn't going anywhere soon. But he was skilled enough to pass it off as love for Doriado, so—"

"Why do you keep calling him 'the human'?" Elsa interrupted.

"Yeah, kinda makes it sound like you think you're not," Anna added, with a sarcastic smile.

Vaan, stony-faced, continued the story. "Eventually the human... achieved his ends. Doriado bore him seven children, each of six possessing the ability to manipulate one of the natural elements. But the seventh had... different powers."

Vaan paused and glanced around, as if he expected to see someone hiding nearby. Corona jumped in and picked up the story. "But at last, the human's desires were satisfied. Doriado, thinking that no evil could come of it, at last told the human what he had wanted to know from the beginning: how to contact the Old Gods."

"This story seems a little pointless," Elsa said, looking back to the broken window. "Is there a moral or something? I'd like to figure out what happened here."

"The moral is 'don't trust humans because they always muck everything up'," Corona responded, holding up the thing that he had been looking at before. It was a small clay amulet, shaped to look like a crude person. A large eye was carved into its forehead.

"There was an ear on it, too, but I managed to get rid of it," Corona said. "This was an attempt to plant a spy inside the one person who needs to be eliminated: you, Queen Elsa."

"And there's probably more on the way," Vaan added, as Corona tossed the clay figure to a shocked Elsa. "Where dolls are planted, more will follow."

"But who's sending them?" Anna asked in frustration, while Elsa slid out of bed and went over to look out the window.

"Two of the children of Doriado." Corona looked at Vaan. "Do you have the contracts?"

Vaan nodded, producing two long scrolls of paper from his cloak, along with a bone-white needle.

"What's that?" Anna asked warily, backing away. Elsa, hearing her tone, turned to see the papers and needle.

"It's a guarantee," Corona said. "I apologize, but this something that must be done immediately."

Swiftly he stepped over to Anna, and before she could react, stuck the needle into her neck. She dropped to the floor, unmoving.

"Anna!" Elsa screamed. She ran to her sister's side, checking for a pulse. "What did you do to her? She's ice cold!"

"Again," Vaan muttered.

Elsa turned to look at the two men, who stood over her. Corona had drawn out a second needle. "Who are you?" she whispered, a hint of fear in her voice.

Corona turned to Vaan with an amused expression. "This seems rather familiar," he said. "Vaan?"

Vaan looked down at Elsa, delivering his defining line yet again. "We are Corona and Vaan of the Guardians of Force," he said, as Corona reached toward Elsa with the needle. "And we want peace."

Elsa held up her shaking hands before her face. She had promised herself never to do this again, but in such a situation...?

Corona pricked her neck with the needle, and she no longer had to choose. A burning hot wave of pain radiated through her body, followed by an intense cold. The first cold, in fact, to ever make Elsa shiver. The room spun, and she blacked out.

Elsa sat up, rubbing the back of her neck. She didn't remember much, besides the fact that she felt inclined to give both of those double-crossers a rather cold greeting when she next saw them.

As if to make her situation more comfortable, she was in a bed, though it didn't much help, since it was carved entirely out of stone. As Elsa looked around the room, she saw that the only thing not made of stone was the door, which was wooden. Creeping over to it, she jiggled the handle. It creaked open.

Suddenly, she heard voices. Opening the door wider, she found herself in a long, low-ceilinged stone corridor. A familiar voice echoed from the opposite end of the tunnel, along with a lower, hoarse voice she didn't recognize. Walking cautiously down the corridor, Elsa realized that the first voice was that of Corona.

"Come on, Jojo!" he said, sounding angry. "Why resign now? We're in a desperate situation! If you leave now, you could literally doom the entire planet!"

"I don' see what's so great about this place," the other responded stubbornly. The second man, presumably Jojo, spoke with a heavy Scottish accent. "Honestly, if you would just accept that this is goin' to happen—"

"You very well know I can't do that," Corona hissed back at him. "I am bound to my contract, just as our two guests soon will be. The organization must hold, or you will be destroyed too!"

"And why's the organization so important?"

Corona's tone changed, and instead of anger Elsa heard pride in his voice. "From the moment of our father's betrayal, Vaan and I have built this organization upon the broken foundation of the faerie empire. We halflings have to support what's left of our lost world."

"Still isn' such a great reason," Jojo said.

Elsa suddenly noticed that there were footsteps getting closer to her. She stepped back towards the door, but just then Corona and Jojo rounded the corner. All three froze as the two men saw her out of her room.

"Queen Elsa!" Corona walked over to her, but she held out her hands. She was shaking again. "Stay away from me," she said in a trembling voice. "I— I don't want to hurt you—"

"Ah, spare me," Corona said, sounding bored, and continued toward her.

Elsa closed her eyes and channeled her powers. She attempted a blast of ice, but the frost stopped and dissolved once it got past her fingertips. She tried again, but couldn't even make so much as a flurry.

"What happened?" Elsa cried, clutching her wrists. "I can't— how?"

"The needle in your neck," Corona explained, pointing at it. "It's a bit of powerful magic that inhibits elemental manipulation. You can remove it... but only for a price."

"What price?" Elsa asked, panicky. "Where am I? Why is all this happening to me?"

"Because you are a halfling," Jojo said, bending down and smiling at the queen, though it was a rather sad smile. "I'm assuming that this charlatan—" he glared at Corona— "told you about the faeren?"

"Yes, we told them about Doriado."

"Well, to make things simple, we elementals are halflings— half human, half faerie. We're the descendants of Doriado and her human companion. We are the Guardians."

"What are these Guardians that I keep hearing about?" Elsa said. "Why do you want me?"

"The Guardians of Force is an organization comprised of faeren, a few humans, but mostly halflings," Corona explained. "Especially powerful halflings. An elemental can have one of many various abilities. There's the six base elements, which are the ones that Doriado's original children had. Earth, thunder, water, and fire, as well as light and shadow. No other light or shadow halflings have been found yet, and my brothers are presumed to be the only halflings to ever possess the abilities to manipulate light and shadow."

"Wait a second," Elsa said, as several things fell into place in her confused mind. "Your brothers? I thought this happened hundreds of years ago."

"It did," Corona answered. "Remember how Doriado said that if someone cared enough about something, they would be able to live almost indefinitely? Well, it's because of my brothers, and what they did, that I'm still here. I am Corona of Corona, and I am the second eldest of the children of Doriado."

Lots of things swirled around in Elsa's mind, but what came tumbling out of her mouth was, "Second eldest?"

"Well, yes," Corona said, sounding slightly annoyed. "Vaan is older by six months; he is the eldest."

"He's your brother too?" Elsa was stunned. "So where do I come in?"

"Your father was my great-great-great-grandson," Corona responded. "Which makes you a seventh generation elemental. Explains your power, really."

Elsa dropped to the floor, staring at the ground. She was starting to panic. "And how do I get out of this mess?"

"Well... you can't," Jojo said apologetically. "This idiot and his brother bound you and yer sister with bone magic."

"It's very simple, really," Corona said, kneeling down next to the hyperventilating Elsa. "You can remove the needle and get back your powers at any time. However, if you do, you'll be bound to the Guardians of Force and will have to stick with the organization until your death."

"What if I don't remove the needle?" Elsa looked up at Corona.

He shrugged. "You get poisoned by ice magic and die a slow and painful death," he responded. "Not too slow, though; the longest I've ever seen anyone live after being cursed by a bone needle is three days."

Elsa looked up at Jojo. "Is that true?" she whispered.

He sighed. "Unfortunately, yes," he said. "I would suggest makin' a decision soon, as the poison spreads quickly. Your resistance to cold may let you live a little longer, but it'll only prolong your suffering."

Elsa swallowed. "What will I have to do if I become a Guardian?" she asked hesitantly.

Corona jumped into action at once. Pulling a long scroll out of his cloak and examining it, he said, "To make it simple, all you have to do is swear to the organization and promise that you'll never leave it. You also have to swear to use, to your greatest ability, both your mind and your body to help use your powers to protect the greater good. Keep in mind that certain acts, while good overall, might involve some less appealing aspects, which, if you are assigned to, you must carry out."

"What do you mean by less appealing?" Elsa asked suspiciously.

Corona continued as if he had not heard her. "Another important thing is that you never either drink or ingest cream. A drunk elemental is a danger to everyone, and if you have any fey blood in you at all, cream will intoxicate you just as much, or at least give you horrible stomach problems. Stay away from iron, salt, sugar, and silver. Silver is only a problem if you're what is considered 'dark', so it shouldn't be a problem unless you get really pissed off. Iron will sometimes burn you, and salt will blind you and sometimes poison you. If someone throws sugar on the ground in front of you, you will have an insane urge to count every grain. Don't do it, even if it means having someone hold you back or knock you unconscious. Also, rowan wood will drain your control over your powers. That about sums it up," Corona said, rolling up the parchment and tucking it back in his cloak. "Any questions?"

Elsa paused. "What exactly is the organization trying to do?"

"We stand for the betterment of mankind and the preservation of nature," a voice said from behind her. She turned to see Vaan standing over her. "We exist to protect this, and other, worlds from destruction by our brothers," he continued, not looking at her but locking eyes with Corona. "Gemini."

"Gemini is our brothers, Ivan and Ezra, in their combined form," Corona explained to the once-again confused queen. "They were fused together when they witnessed our father gaining his powers from the Old Gods, and it apparently drove them insane. Now they're one extremely powerful being that's bent on summoning the Old Gods once again. They want power, just like our father," He finished.

"And you don't?"

"Of course we do!" Corona said, exasperated. "But we can't become more powerful, not in this place at least. Even if we knew how to call the Old Gods, we know that they would just run rampant and destroy this world. Unfortunately, Gemini doesn't believe this is true."

"Indeed," Vaan agreed. "Speaking of which, we should leave soon; we need to call a meeting of the Guardians."

"All right," Corona said, as everyone looked at him. "We'll leave for the cavern immediately. Someone carry the princess out here, she'll need to be there too."

Vaan went to get Anna. Corona made to follow him, but Elsa cried out after him, "She's not awake yet?"

He paused. "I doubt it. You recovered quicker than most, probably because of your immunity to ice. Speaking of which, are you going to become a Guardian?" He smirked. "Unless you'd rather die."

A wave of anger washed over Elsa. She stood up and yanked the needle out of her neck. Instantly she felt a burning pain where it had been. She clapped her hands around her neck, but already the sensation was fading. "What the hell was that?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Go look in a mirror," Corona said. He seemed to have become much happier. "Right," he said, turning and heading for what Elsa assumed was the exit. "Let's get going."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Elsa followed Jojo out of the stone "burrow" and outside, where they met Corona and Vaan, who was carrying Anna. Elsa rushed over to her and felt her hand; she was still stone cold.

"When will she wake up?" Elsa asked, without looking away from her sister's face.

"Probably fairly soon," Vaan responded. "Perhaps a few hours. The ice magic slows the body's senses, making it difficult to wake up."

"We have to get going, they'll be expecting us." Corona stepped to the front of the group and turned to face them. "Everyone hold hands. Er, grab Vaan's sleeve. Good. Now, prepare yourselves. Off we go—"

Corona snapped his fingers, and a great flash of light blinded Elsa. When she could see again she found herself high in the air. She tried to scream, but instead a loud crackling emanated from where her mouth had been. Not that it was there anymore. This was, she realized, because she was somehow made of electricity. Before all of this had fully registered, she was battered with another flash of light and a swift striking sound, and found herself stumbling on the edge of a precipice at the mouth of a cave. Leaning backwards, Elsa attempted to stop herself from falling, but her foot slipped off the edge. She found herself plummeting downward—

"Gotcha!"

Elsa, heart racing, looked around. A good-looking young man of around 20 had seized her hand just before she had fallen. She looked down to see that she was hanging high above a forest of dead trees. The man hoisted her back up before she could panic, however.

"Can't have new recruits fallin' off cliffs right away, now can we?" he said with a wide grin. "Name's Percival. I command the noble element of plasma. Well, sorta counts for fire. Anyways, what can you do? Hang on a minute."

Percival squinted at her. He had said this all very fast, and now that Elsa had gotten over the shock (no pun intended) of her method of arrival, she noticed that he didn't seem to blink. His hair looked like a wild animal that he had made a valiant attempt to tame, and he spoke with a strong cockney accent.

"You're that queen, aren't you?" he said finally. "So, did the brothers hook you into this, or did you join of your own free will?"

"I wasn't aware of what was going on," Elsa stuttered. "I think I'm still not."

Percival sighed, reminding Elsa of Jojo. "I thought as much," he said sorrowfully. Then, suddenly becoming cheerful again, he continued, "I heard you have some real cool powers, if you know what I mean."

"Real funny," Elsa muttered, still disoriented and a little unsure of what was going on.

"Percy!"

Percival turned, smiling, and gave a playful salute as Corona came striding towards the cave mouth, followed by Jojo, who looked rather sick, and Vaan, who was leading—

"Anna!" Elsa rushed over to her, but Jojo held out an arm. "It would be best for her if you left her well enough alone for awhile. She's not fully recovered yet." He attempted a smile, but all he could manage was a grimace.

"You don't look recovered either," Elsa observed. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," he said thickly, waving off her concern. "Just prefer to keep my feet on the ground, that's all."

"I apologize, Queen Elsa, for your near accident," Corona said, glancing at Percival. "Travel by lightning is hard to maintain with more than two or three individuals, especially when they're so set against me." He glared sternly at Elsa.

"I have every right to be!" Elsa shouted, outraged. "You show up at my front door, tell me a pointless story, stick me with a needle, and say I have to help you maintain the 'greater good' or some other bull—"

"The story was not pointless!" Corona said, cutting her off. "It tells you what Gemini is trying to accomplish. Weren't you listening?"

"You'll excuse me if I was a bit afraid of everything going on!"

Percival nodded, his face screwed up in thought. "So that's how they did it," he said.

Everyone looked at him. "What?" Elsa asked.

"They stuck you with a bone needle," Percival replied, nodding again.

"You're still on that?" Elsa said, exasperated, as everyone else (besides Anna) rolled their eyes.

"We don't have time for this," Corona said, pushing past Percival and grabbing Elsa's wrist, dragging her inside.

Elsa tried to pry Corona's fingers loose, but apparently he had practiced holding on to people's wrists a lot over the years, because regardless of what she did, he didn't loosen his grip. They walked— or perhaps dragged, in the sisters' cases— through a small, dark tunnel and out into a large chamber, with benches ringing a podium at the head of the room.

"Wow," Elsa said, momentarily forgetting to struggle.

"Hmm?" Anna seemed to finally be coming to. "What— where am I?"

"In the court of the Faeren," a deep voice responded. Looking for the source, Elsa saw a tall, powerfully built man smiling warmly at them from the seats to their right. He stood up and crossed over the seats between them easily in three strides, jumping and landing in front of the party with a great crash. "Corona!" he said, wrapping Corona in a huge bear hug. Corona finally let go of Elsa's forearm as he was lifted off his feet and his ribs were crushed.

Elsa giggled. Corona's eyes were bulging out of their sockets, and he was turning purple. Then the huge man seemed to notice the rest of them. "Jojo!" he said with the same jovial tone, dropping Corona carelessly in the dust and walking over to Jojo, clapping him on the back and nearly knocking him over. "And Vaan! I haven't seen all of you in years!" He made to grab Vaan in a hug too, but failed, due to the fact that Vaan literally melted away into water and swirled over to the breathless Corona, resuming solidity.

"Well, anyway." The big man shrugged. He turned around to see Elsa, who was now supporting Anna. "And what have we here?" he boomed, smiling kindly down at the sisters. "New members?" He stuck out a hand. "I'm Morgan. And your names?"

"Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle," Corona introduced with a grand flourish.

"Uh... hi," Anna said sleepily, rubbing the back of her neck and yawning. "What the heck is going on?"

"You're needed in the Guardians of Force," Vaan told her. "Your powers are needed in these dangerous times."

Anna squinted up at him. "But... I don't have powers," she said slowly. "If it's Elsa you want—"

"They already have me, Anna," Elsa said quietly, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder. "We have to help them."

"Well, you don't have to," Corona said, dusting himself off. "Death is always an option."

The mention of death seemed to wake Anna up. "Death?" she said, sounding somewhat alarmed. "Elsa, what's going on? Where are we?"

"Vaan," Corona said quickly. "Would you be so kind as to tell this young lady about her contract and heritage...?"

Grumbling slightly, Vaan led Anna through a door off the main chamber.

"What now?" Worry was once again slowly rising in Elsa's stomach.

"Now..." Morgan sat back down. "We wait."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Elsa looked around nervously. It had been several hours, and people had been trickling into the cavern slowly but surely. She had seen strange things before, but this topped it all: a huge congregation of faeren, humans and... other things, all waiting for Corona and his brother to get back.

Once again she glanced at the door through which Vaan had taken Anna. Suddenly, it opened, and out walked Corona, Vaan and a pale but steady Anna.

Elsa stood up. She hurried over to her sister. "Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.

Anna made a brave attempt at a smile. "I'm fine," she said, and continued up to the seats.

"She fainted again after learning that— well..." Corona cleared his throat. "It seems that your home was wiped off the map, along with many of the homes nearby. That included the Royal Ice Guy or whatever."

Elsa's heart sank. "Kristoff?"

"Unfortunately." Corona bowed his head. "However, we did find his reindeer, and the snowman. They're staying in the back. You can see them after the meeting, if you want."

Elsa's spirits rose, but she had a question that she needed an answer to. "Is this how my—" she looked at Anna, who was sitting forlornly in the front row. "—our lives are going to be?"

"Not if we can get rid of Gemini," Corona said. He smiled, the first real smile Elsa had seen on his face since meeting him. "There's still some time before the meeting starts. Come with me. I've got something to show you." He held his hand out to her.

Elsa didn't take it. "Why did you rope us into this?" she asked him. "Why get us involved?"

"We need your abilities," Corona said, without withdrawing his hand. "Though we knew you and your friends might be at risk, we must defeat Gemini. If we can't, they will destroy all with their quest for power. We work for the greater good; that is what we swore to do when we created the Guardians of Force. You think it unfair that we used the bone needles on you, to make your choice for you."

It wasn't a question. Elsa shrugged. "Well, I prefer having free will."

Corona smiled slightly. "As do I. And yet, I, of my own free will, wrote myself the same contract as I did for you and your sister, and pricked myself with a needle." He pulled down the collar of his cloak to reveal a small tattoo of a fork of lightning, seared into his neck. "You still haven't looked in a mirror, have you?" He said, as Elsa stared at it. Her hand moved to the place on her own neck where the needle had been. Using her powers, Elsa created a thin sheet of ice, standing upright in front of her, reflective enough to be used as a mirror.

"Take a look," Corona said. Elsa pulled down her collar to see, in the same place as Corona's, a small tattoo of a snowflake. "That is the symbol of an elemental," Corona said softly. "It does not show slavery, but a great resolve to protect and do good. Your sister and I spoke, and she accepts what has happened. I hope that you will."

Elsa turned to Corona, and he saw that she had tears in her eyes. "But why?" she whispered. "Why must this happen? I've lost my kingdom, my parents... all I have left is Anna."

"Don't fear death," Corona said understandingly. "And try not to get too attached to anything, either. If you do, you'll be doomed to linger on... separated from your friends and family forever." He sighed. "I often think that I should've reworded the contract I wrote, so many years ago. I said that things must be done 'for the greater good'. Do you realize how many have died, because of those four words?" He shook his head, looking tired. "I have been bound to my contract for so long that it has begun to work in reverse. Its effect is that if you disobey it, you are to suffer the fate that you fear most. Now, my worst fear is to live much longer. Yet, in my contract, I wrote that I must continue to serve the greater good for as long as I was able. That effectively means that I can never die. I am hopeless."

Corona plopped down on a seat, looking utterly rejected.

Elsa looked down at him in surprise. "And...?" she pressed him.

He sighed again. "You've nothing to worry about. You have your sister. Me... I have a brother who's going to die soon. I have nobody."

"Vaan's going to die?" Elsa was alarmed. "Why?"

"That's the real question, isn't it?" Corona stood back up. "Why. Why does anything happen? Why do we exist? Why is fate so cruel? And yet we slave away, doing what we think is best, for the greater good." He snorted. "He doesn't feel the need to live any longer. Without him, even if I were to end the organization, the bone magic has ingrained my contract into my very being. I will be free of it only in death. And that is why I recruited you and your sister. It is required by my contract that I continue to make the organization stronger, and I can't stop myself from doing what I must. I'm truly sorry that you have to be in my situation, but it couldn't be helped."

Elsa looked at Corona. He didn't look so much like an arrogant stranger anymore; in fact, the expression he was wearing was similar to the one she had seen many times before, as she looked at her reflection in the walls of her ice palace.

"I thought that there was no way out of my situation, when I was found out," she said to him. "I just... ran away. But even that didn't work. Then my sister showed me that if there's a will, there's a way." Elsa smiled at Anna, who waved from her seat. "I don't know much about magic, but we can still try. No matter what's done, there's always a way to undo it."

Corona grinned. "Someone I once knew told me that, a long time ago. I still don't have much confidence, given that over five hundred years hasn't seen a solution, but perhaps..."

His eyes suddenly fell upon something behind Elsa. His jaw dropped. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit."

Elsa whipped around. Every being in the amphitheater— sylphs, nymphs, trolls, humans and halflings alike— fell silent at the sight of the being in the center of the floor. It was shaped vaguely like a human. Half of it blazed with radiance, while the other half seemed to absorb all the light around it. It flickered and changed as it moved. Though it wasn't substantial, everyone in the room could feel the power radiating from it.

"Hello, foolish fools," it sneered, its voice both smooth and erratic, as if two people were speaking in unison. "Unfortunate that we can't physically be here, but we just wanted to pop in before you all got captured." It tapped its head. "Oh yeah, that's the other thing. There's an advancing horde of witch dolls trapping you in here until I arrive in person." It waved a mock salute, as Percival had done. "Toodles."

The hologram flickered out of existence, and panic ensued. "Hey, all you of the organization!" Corona bellowed, catching the attention of many. "How many can help in a battle?"

About two thirds of the assembled company raised their arms. Corona surveyed the multitude. "Right," he said, rushing up to the podium. "Prepare for anything, and don't let anything or anyone in until I get back!"

He rushed back down onto the floor and once again held out his hand to Elsa. "I've got something to show you," he said. "You need to know how it works, in case I don't survive. Emergency protocol."

"In that case..." Elsa smiled. "I find that I can't resist."

Corona grinned, grabbing her hand and leading her into the back. They ran flat-out down stone passageways, just like the ones back at the burrow.

"Can I ask who does the architecture around here?" Elsa panted.

"Jojo," Corona shouted behind him, rounding a corner up ahead. "He's our stone elemental; he opens up tunnels where we need them. Ah, here it is."

Elsa stopped in awe. Before her sat an enormous construct of some crystalline substance, laced into the stone as if it had grown there. Sights and sounds emenated from it, some recognizable, some as alien as the thing before her.

"This is the biggest rift in existence," Corona informed her proudly. "We call it the Nexus. It's a stable singularity; a place where every single dimension and universe converges on one single point. It's how we can get out of here."

Elsa looked up. Corona saw an excited look in her eye, one that he didn't like. "Anyway," he went on more slowly, "the Nexus can only be used by a Contradiction. Since they can take people with them, however, it's not an issue. We have a few in the organization."

"So... this can go anywhere?" She examined it. "How?"

"Well, it's a bit of a weak point, if you will," Corona explained. "A hole in space-time. Useful for transportation and such, but it can be an issue when—" Corona stopped, frowning. "Do you hear that?"

Elsa, absorbed in the Nexus, turned to say she didn't hear anything, and heard something: a whooshing, humming sound, getting louder every second.

"Get out of the way!" Corona grabbed Elsa and dragged her out of the way as a big blue box with a blinking light on the top faded into existence just where she had been standing. "As I was saying, it can be an issue when that happens," Corona finished, pointing to the police box's door, which was opening.

There was complete silence as a man in a leather jacket stepped out of the box, tucking something away in his jacket pocket. He looked around, then noticed them. "Hello," he said, grinning widely. "It might sound daft, but what year is it?"

Elsa fainted. Corona let her fall to the floor; he was rather pale himself. "Hello, Doctor," he said straight-facedly.

The man frowned. "Sorry, have we—?"

"Mainstream Earth, Year 2000," he said, nodding. "Wisconsin, United States of America. We watched an Author's birth."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Well, did we now? That's great and all, but I had somewhere I was going, so—" he made to get back into his box.

"Stop," Corona said, grabbing the Doctor's sleeve. "We need your help."

He turned back to Corona. "Oh really? Well, lots of other people need me more. How are you gonna stop me getting back in my big blue box and flying away?"

The Doctor turned around again to find that his box had disappeared. He turned back to Corona. "I— I see. So it vanished into thin air." He grinned falteringly. "Lovely."

Corona smiled thinly. "Follow me, Doctor."

They returned to the main chamber, Elsa draped over Corona's shoulder. He handed her over to a surprised Anna and walked up to the podium. "Excuse me!" He said, banging on the podium. "We've got more extra help. Everyone, this is the Doctor."

"We know him," several voices said softly in unison.

Immediately, the Doctor whipped around, looking for the source of the voices. "They know me," he muttered. "They know me, that's not good, that's never good."

"Please keep calm, Doctor," Corona said, smiling. "It's just the Contradictions."

A pale-faced man with wide eyes walked up to the Doctor. He was wearing a crimson cloak, and the only part of him that was visible was his face. "Emissary of Gallifrey," the man said, his eyes unseeing, unblinking. "We see beyond you. How have you entered this place? We thought that your TARDIS was tied to the fluctuations of the Mainstream universe."

"He fell through the Nexus and into our back room," Corona said, stepping forward to address the man. "He's here to bring down Gemini."

The wide-eyed man turned to stare at Corona. "The Doctor is not worth your trouble," he whispered. "If you use him, something dreadful will surely happen."

"Yeah, listen to the monk here," the Doctor said. "Give me back my TARDIS and I'll be off. Though I wouldn't say no to tea first."

"Doctor, we face the spawn of gods," Corona said, his eyes hardening. "You will help us or your TARDIS will be destroyed."

"And how you gonna do that?"

Corona held up his hand. Ribbons of static electricity ran up and down the length of it. He smiled. "Where there's a will, there's a way."

A huge quake shook the cavern. Anna looked around, panicky, and called, "Corona!"

Corona stumbled to his feet. "I would say that the witch dolls are here," he predicted, pulling on a pair of gloves. "Elementals, forward phalanx!"

A large number of halflings, presumably, swarmed out of the seats and locked into formation, each wielding a weapon. "Attack at will," Corona said, drawing a split-blade sword and marching out of the cavern.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Right," the Doctor said, rushing over to Anna and Elsa, who was just waking up. "We should probably get out; a quake of this magnitude suggests a platonic shift relatively close in terms of depth, and I don't want to end my long life by getting stuck in a cave with a bunch of locals and two total strangers."

"Make that 'two total strangers and an old friend'," a voice said behind them. The Doctor turned to see Vaan standing before him. He grinned. "Hello, old friend," the Doctor responded. "Now, can you get us the hell out of here?"

Vaan grabbed a Contradiction and hurried through to the back. The Doctor followed, with Anna and Elsa hot on his heels. "What the hell is going on?" Anna shouted.

"A rewind," Vaan shouted, returning to the Nexus. The TARDIS was sitting right next to it, just like it had been before. "It never really left, did it?" the Doctor asked, exasperated.

"Corona is rather skilled with mind tricks." Vaan smiled. "Okay, everyone in!"

The Doctor got in immediately. The sisters, however, hesitated. "I'm not so sure about that thing," Elsa said, while Anna nodded.

"The temporal flux will tear this time strand apart," Vaan shouted over the quake. "If you don't get in there, you won't just die; you'll cease to exist. Much worse."

Anna looked at Elsa, unsure. "Oh, just go with it," she grumbled, walking inside.

Once inside, the sisters looked around. It was bigger on the inside. Elsa dropped to the floor in another dead faint, while Anna looked around, amazed. "It's..."

"Going to be destroyed, if we don't hurry!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing Vaan and pulling him under the huge control panel in the middle of the room. "Connect that there, and hold that; then kick that one as hard as you can."

Vaan did it, then kicked the side. "Harder!" the Doctor said, flipping switches and pressing a button here and there.

Vaan slammed his foot against the side of the panel. There was a clunking sound, and the TARDIS shook.

"Perfect!" the Doctor said, grinning widely. He twisted a dial and hit a button.

The grinding, whooshing sound started again as the TARDIS slowly vanished into thin air. Corona, who had been searching in the corridors for Vaan, saw the blue box leaving. "Get back here!" he snarled, and, using his powers, electrically clamped himself to the side as the police box disappeared altogether.

The Doctor opened the door of the TARDIS cautiously. "Hello?" He stepped out into the room.

Vaan followed, and saw three figures he recognized. They were in Arendelle palace before it was destroyed, when they had bound Elsa. "You two stay in the TARDIS," Vaan called to the sisters, before venturing out and closing the door. "Ready, Doctor?" he said.

The Doctor nodded, as the three turned around. "Locking inverse detonation in five," he said, taking out his sonic screwdriver as the Vaan and Corona across the room exchanged a look of alarm. "Four, three..."

Corona staggered around the side of the TARDIS. "What have you done?" he panted. "That wasn't the time vortex."

"Two, one!" The head of the screwdriver extended as the Doctor pressed the button. Instantly there was an explosion from inside the TARDIS. The whole of space-time snapped back in on itself as it bent around the Doctor, Corona and Vaan. After it had finished, all three found themselves on the opposite side of the room. The other Corona and Vaan had vanished, leaving the three to bend over Elsa's body.

"So, what happened to everyone else?" Corona turned to the Doctor, who was examining the bone needle in Elsa's neck. "This must've been what stopped us going back further," he murmured, touching the needle. "Interesting..."

Suddenly he seemed to realize that Corona had asked him a question. "Oh, they don't exist anymore," he said, shrugging. "I'd be upset, but they're still here. You see, from this point on, everything is the same as before except that you two know what's going to happen."

"So we get to write a new history?" Corona grinned. "Sounds like the Author."

"Don't," the Doctor warned, shaking his head. "Just don't."

"But wouldn't the sisters know about it too?" Vaan frowned. "They were in the TARDIS."

"Ah," the Doctor said, his face falling. "Well, the detonation caused the TARDIS to... well... you sort of doomed them by telling them to stay inside. As a result, we three are the only ones who know."

"Any other collateral damage?" Vaan asked calmly, as Corona stared at the Elsa on the floor, then back to the TARDIS.

"Well, there is a slight possibility that the TARDIS may not be functional for about another 12 hours. It will be regenerating from the detonation. If we try to go anywhere, it could conk out on us and we'd be stuck in a random location for a long time."

"Where is the TARDIS, by the way?" Corona said, standing up suddenly.

The Doctor swiveled around to see that the blue box was gone again. He threw Corona a skeptical look. "Let's stop with the mind tricks, it won't do you any good."

Corona shook his head. "I'm serious this time. It's gone."

"Maybe it took a trip on its own, to help the regeneration along," suggested Vaan.

"If it did, we have a problem," the Doctor said grimly. "I can't even get it to the right coordinates when it's fully functional. I might never see it again."

"We always have the Nexus," Corona said, shrugging.

"And that's precisely the problem," the Doctor said, turning back to the two elementals. "I think that this Gemini is after it. It would explain the attack on your base, and why he tried to trap you inside. Enough raw energy, combined with the proper techniques, could call up an old entity from the past and bring him through the Nexus. Of course, depending on the amount of power he contains, the Nexus would probably destabilize and collapse."

"Which would be an issue, since this isn't a Mainstream universe." Vaan hoisted Elsa up onto his shoulder. "Corona, get Anna. She's over there. We have no time to waste."

Corona nodded. He grabbed her unconscious form, then snapped his fingers.

Their five forms were instantly engulfed in light as they were converted into plasma and electricity, traveling up into the clouds and striking back down at the base. "You get inside with him," Corona nodded at the Doctor, who was looking extremely disoriented. "Take Anna; I'll assemble the Guardians."

"Just the Inner Circle?"

Corona nodded gravely. "The Order are the only ones we can trust." He snapped his fingers, and was gone in another blast of lightning.

"Come on, Doctor," Vaan said, slightly amused, heading into the mouth of the cave. "We've got explaining to do." The Doctor, still dizzy, stumbled after him.

A few hours later, both sisters had woken up, had the situation explained to them, and eventually accepted their new home. Corona returned with the assembled members of the Inner Circle: Jojo, Andrew, Percival, Mira, Morgan, and—

Elsa stared. "You?" she said, aghast.

"You!" Anna repeated. "Um, who is he?" she asked Elsa.

"He's your little brother," Vaan said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. He gave Vaan a nasty glare. "This is Darren. Anna, you wouldn't remember him because... Well, when you two were little girls, Elsa accidentally struck you in the head with ice magic. Your parents were already upset about Darren here running away, and so your father took you to the Moors and had the trolls wipe your memory of any magic. Since Darren had run away, and he was definitely an elemental, they took him out altogether."

"Your parents didn't seem to deal with the elemental thing very well," Corona commented. "They didn't like us very much, that's for certain."

"You knew them?" Anna shook her head. "Wait a second. You're saying that the reason that you—" she looked back at Elsa, who shrank away— "shut me out is because Mother and Father thought that you would hurt me again?"

"Well, they were right, weren't they?" Corona said, amused.

Elsa glared at him. "I didn't want you to get hurt either," she said apologetically, turning back to Anna. "Especially now, in this situation—"

"Which brings us to why we're all here," Corona interrupted. He stepped to the front of the group of elementals. "We have received intelligence—" he glanced at the Doctor, who waved— "that Gemini has planned a strike on this base. There are about... fifteen legions of witch dolls moving toward us?" He looked to Vaan questioningly.

"Seventeen," Vaan corrected.

"How many is that?" asked Anna, frowning.

"About 85,000," Corona said.

"But how can they attack?" Andrew, the air elemental, asked. "I thought that the base was cloaked from enemy eyes."

Vaan nodded at the Doctor. "Doctor?" he said.

The Doctor jumped up and adressed the group. "There is, as I'm sure you're aware, something called the Nexus in the back chambers of this cavern that allows you to jump to different times and places, like a doorway."

"Actually, I wasn't aware of it," Morgan said, frowning. "Where did it come from?"

"Oh, come on," Corona scoffed. "Do you think we chose this mountain for the view?" He gestured out at the forest of dead trees.

"Fair point," said Percival. "So this thing, it can let you travel in time as well?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, and that's the main problem. Something that has enough energy to transport an entire person through time and space, and even other dimensions, is bound to give off some sort of radiation or something. If this Gemini is as powerful as you say he is, I'm sure he can hear it, if nothing else."

Jojo squinted. "What do ya mean, hear it?"

"Can't you?" Darren said. "It's singing. Don't like the melody." He sniffed.

"Yes," the Doctor said, nodding. "Though you might think it's a pleasant song, it's also a beacon, drawing every enemy of yours directly to this cavern."

"Well, that's lovely," Mira said, rolling her eyes. "And what's the plan?"

The Doctor turned to Corona and Vaan, who then looked at one another. "Makiu?" Corona asked. "Makiu," Vaan confirmed.

Corona turned to the Doctor. "How much time do you think we have before Gemini's forces get here?" he asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe fifteen minutes?"

"Right," Vaan said. "Everyone, we'll need you, but not right now. Please take cover in the auditorium until the mistform has degenerated."

Everyone stood back as Corona and Vaan clasped right hands. "I would advise that you stay away, Doctor," Vaan said. "Wouldn't want your brain shorted out, would you?"

The Doctor backed against the wall as the two elementals rippled, their bodies distorting and merging at the wrist. "VAPOR LIGHTNING STRIKE!" they shouted simultaneously. A flash of blue lightning struck where they were bound together, sending ripples of electricity through both of their bodies. Suddenly they both seemed to just melt away as their forms were absorbed into each other, forming a writhing mass of electrified fluid. Then the mass became more humanoid, the lightning forming a sort of skeletal structure and the translucent fluid sliding over it like flesh. The creature's face morphed into a skull-like shape as it rose up, a huge watery spook with points of light as eyes and a skeletal structure of lightning. A cloud of dense mist exuded from its feet; everything below its knees was obscured, and the mist was spreading out constantly.

"Get in the auditorium!" the creature grated, its voice like two very hoarse individuals shouting in unison. "The mist kills brain activity with a lethal shock."

Sure enough, they could see static electricity crackling and snapping throughout the cloud. "Hurry, for God's sake!" the thing roared. "It's static for now, but once it wakes up you'll have nowhere to go."

Everyone just stared in amazement. "What are you?" Anna asked wonderingly.

"I am Makiu, the magical mist," it replied. "Now do yourself a favor and don't die!"

"Come on," the Doctor said, suddenly back in action, and started dragging everyone into the huge chamber behind them.

The mistform being turned to the mouth of the cave and looked out. "The legions are toast," it rumbled, and jumped off the edge, into the deadened forest below.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"So," Anna said, breaking the silence in the chamber. "Introductions?"

The man named Andrew stood up, running his hands through his windswept hair. "Andrew, air elemental," he said, smiling. "Just don't call me Andy."

"And I'm Mira," the girl said, shaking Anna's hand and winking at the Doctor, who raised an eyebrow. "Vaan's been training me; I'm the water elemental to be."

"And you," Elsa said, directing her gaze at Darren, who was skulking in the back of the room. "I never thought I'd see you again. Mother and father said you were dead. Where have you been?"

"With Percival," Darren said. "He actually cares about me, so he helped me use my powers instead of locking them up. As I heard happened to you." He smiled, but it wasn't a particularly nice smile.

"How do you know about—"

"Recon," Percival interrupted, moseying over to stand by Darren. "Each of us have been taking turns supervising your family for nearly two decades. Corona and Vaan, even longer. We know all about your lives. Everything." He threw Elsa a strange look. She blushed.

"It was my turn for duty that night, what, nearly a year ago now, and I saw some strange things. Mind you, it was getting difficult for me to do anything; your ice was freezing up my plasma cloud. I managed to follow you up the mountain, and what do I find on my way but a sixteen-year-old boy, huddled in a dark cave, with an internal body temperature of about 105 degrees. Obviously he had been fending for himself for a very long time, but he seemed perfectly adapted to the cold. I materialized outside his cave, and, upon learning he could talk, offered him the opportunity to be my apprentice. It was obvious that he was an elemental of some caliber, and I was quite pleased when he accepted. It's been about a year, and finally he's going to see some action." He clapped Darren on the shoulder.

"So you adopted him?"

"Yeah," Darren said. "Pretty much. He doesn't mind it so much when I do this." He pointed at one of the stone pedestals that lined the room, and it shattered. Sparks and stone shards went flying everywhere.

"Oy!" Jojo shouted angrily, as everyone ducked. "I worked hard on those!"

"Well, anyway," Percival continued hurriedly, "I thought that maybe you might be happy to see him, but—"

"He almost killed me!" Elsa shouted angrily. "Of course I'm not happy to see him!"

"So, what kind of powers am I supposed to have?" Anna asked Andrew, as Elsa, Percival and Jojo shouted at each other.

"Well, Corona says you're a fire elemental," Andrew said. He paused. "I suppose there's an easy way to find out."

He closed his eyes, then extended his arms. Anna heard a whooshing sound from all sides. She swiveled around, looking for the source. "What was that?"

Andrew lowered his arms. "That was a blast of wind. If you weren't an elemental, it would've knocked you off your feet, but your body temperature must be so high that the air rushing toward you burnt up. That also means that your powers are active."

"Active?" Anna frowned. "You mean I—"

"Sometimes, an elemental's powers are dormant until they awaken as a reflex to protect you. You could've gotten injured from that wind, so your body automatically created a heat shield around you. Unfortunately, you can't do much more with your powers than protect yourself at this point. Hopefully Corona can fix that."

"What do we do till they get back?" Anna looked toward the cave mouth. "I mean, it...?"

"Considering how powerful it is," the Doctor said, waltzing over and checking a watch, "it should be back right about..." He snapped it shut. "Now."

A huge rumbling noise was heard, and a giant chunk of the ceiling was blasted apart, allowing the mistform to clamber down into the chamber. The fog around its knees was gone, and its form appeared to be drooping. It stumbled a few feet toward the Doctor, Anna and Andrew, then collapsed into a huge puddle of electrified liquid. Even as they watched, the elements separated, and Corona and Vaan reformed on the floor of the cavern.

For a moment there was absolute silence. Vaan and Corona stood up unsteadily, looked at one another, then burst into mad laughter. The Doctor smiled. "So, how'd it go?" he asked.

"Destroyed them," Vaan panted.

"And even better," Corona added, staggering over to the Doctor, "those were the troops who were supposed to destroy Arendelle. They were redirected sooner than planned because of the energy the Nexus gave off when we backtracked." He turned to Elsa. "Basically, we just saved your entire kingdom. Oh, and the ice guy is safe, too. You can see him after all this is over."

"I must say, I'm impressed," Morgan said, impressed. "What was that thing you made? I've never seen something like that before."

"Actually, you can all do that," Vaan said, brushing scraps of paper and clay off his cloak. "It just takes an enormous amount of concentration and energy, and if you screw up, you die."

"You could've died?" Mira crossed her arms. "Honestly, sometimes I want to slap you so much."

Andrew heard Anna clear her throat behind him. "Corona," Andrew said, stepping forward. "Anna wants you to awaken her powers fully."

"Indeed she does," Corona said, surveying Anna. She got the impression that he was seeing straight into her mind. "Are you sure you want this? If you awaken your powers, you'll be stuck with them."

Anna nodded. "I'm needed in the battle, right?" she said. "I don't have much choice."

"Oh, there's always a choice," Vaan said, glancing at the Doctor. "The consequences of that choice are a different story."

"Come with me," Corona said, walking towards the door in the back wall. "We're going to have a little talk."

Anna followed Corona into a little back room, containing nothing but a single chair. "Have a seat," Corona said, gesturing toward it.

Anna sat down nervously. "How does this work?" she asked. "Does it hurt?"

"Oh, yes," Corona said grimly. "But not physical pain; much worse than that." He extended his arm. "Give me your hand."

She held it out, and Corona took hold of it. Instantly Anna felt a draining sensation, numbing her arm all the way to her shoulder. "What are you doing?" she said, slightly fearful.

"Preparing you for a shock," he responded. "Literally."

Excruciating pain ran through Anna's body. She tried to scream but found she couldn't move her mouth. Her vision was dimming...

Anna slumped over in the chair. Corona bent over her. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes..." she whispered, seemingly half-awake.

"I've used a controlled shock to induce a hypnotic state in you. I want you to think carefully about everything I say to you. When I tell you to wake up, you won't remember this conversation or the shock, but you will remember what I told you as things you said to yourself. You will continue to think of them whenever you use your powers. Do you understand?"

"Yes..." Anna responded faintly.

"Good," Corona said. "Now, to begin. One of your earliest memories is playing in the snow with your sister. In reality, this was her using her powers; your parents had it wiped from your memory because Elsa accidentally hit you with her magic. Afterwards, according to your parents' rules, Elsa shut you out for nearly fifteen years. How did you feel?"

Anna's brow creased. "I was... lonely. But I kept trying to get through to her. I knew... eventually... that she would come out of her room."

"She was lonely too," Corona said, pacing the room. "But she listened, instead of doing what she knew she should. She cared more about your well-being than your happiness."

"But I wanted to have someone to talk to! Someone who understood..."

"She understood too well," Corona told her. "I do have a question, though. Why didn't you just leave, find yourself a friend outside of the confines of the palace?"

"I... suppose I knew it wouldn't work the right way."

"And what do you mean by that?"

Anna said nothing.

"If you're not telling me, you must have more willpower than I thought," Corona said, impressed. "Let's see..."

He laid his hands on Anna's temples, drawing out her thoughts. Suddenly he withdrew. "Well, that explains a lot," he said to himself. "Er... let's move on. When you were sixteen, your parents died in a shipwreck. Vaan and I were the ones who caused their ship to sink. What do you feel?"

"Anna's face was despairing. "I feel pain," she whispered. "I feel angry. I want to... to make Vaan and Corona pay. But..."

"But?"

"I know that they had to, for whatever reason," Anna said. "Their contract wouldn't let them do that without a reason."

"Well, that's a relief, but it's not what I'm looking for." Corona rubbed his eyes. "Most recently, a year ago, your sister was revealed to have ice powers. She shunted responsibility, tried to run away from you, and froze your heart. What do you make of that?"

Anna's lip trembled. "It hurts," she said. "But she's changed." Her tone was almost hopeful.

"She hasn't," Corona said, barely containing his eagerness. At last, here was something he could work with. "She even thinks she's different, but she's still keeping secrets. She hasn't truly opened up to the world. There's something else she's not telling you." Corona whispered something in Anna's ear. A tear traced its way down her cheek.

"She... why didn't she tell me?"

"Because she doesn't trust anyone," Corona said. "Not even you."

"She doesn't trust me?" Anna's tone had changed from tearful to angry.

"Wake up," Corona said.

Anna sat up, her eyes open wide. "What just happened?" She reached up and felt her cheek. "Was I crying?"

"Anna," Corona said softly, "your hair is on fire."

Corona and Anna came out of the back chamber. Elsa rushed over. "What did he do?" she asked concernedly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Anna said, giving Elsa a strange look. She brushed her hand away. "Anyway, I think I'm ready to help fight."

"We tried a few easy techniques to help her focus her powers," Corona said. "Show them the 'alchemist' method."

Anna snapped her fingers, and a thin tongue of flame issued from her hand.

"And then the 'dragontooth focus'," Corona said, smiling encouragingly.

Anna blew across the palm of her hand, and a huge cloud of sparks and fire swirled around her.

"And the 'rage of nature' technique."

Anna closed her eyes tight. When she opened them again, they blazed like the sun. Her hair alighted and fanned out around her head like a flaming halo. She rose into the air and began to glow brightly.

"Yes, you can stop now, we get the picture," Corona said. "We have a lot of ground to cover, and I won't be able to maintain a photon formation with so many people, so lightning travel is out of the question."

"Where are we going now?" Mira frowned.

Corona and Vaan grinned and said in unison, "Back to Arendelle."


End file.
